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Porsche reveals 919 Hybrid Le Mans LMP1 car

March 3, 2014

Porsche has released the first official images of its liveried 2014 FIA World Endurance Championship and 24 Hours of Le Mans contender, the 919 Hybrid -- the car with which the German manufacturer will this year use in its quest to return to the winners' circle in June's endurance-racing classic in France.

Set to form the centerpiece of Porsche's stand at this week's Geneva motor show, the new carbon-fiber intensive gasoline-electric hybrid powered race car is constructed to the latest LMP1-class regulations, which stipulate it must not exceed 183.1 inches in length, 74.8 inches in width and 41.3 inches in height, as well as boasting a minimum weight of 1,918 pounds.

Described as the most complex race car Porsche has ever constructed, the 919 Hybrid is powered by a newly developed turbocharged 2.0-liter V4 direct-injection gasoline engine that forms a load-bearing function within the chassis. Porsche claims it revs to 9,000 rpm, and the engine drives the rear wheels.

The combustion engine is supported by an electric motor within the front axle, along with a lithium-ion battery. They provide drive to the front wheels when activated, giving the 919 Hybrid temporary all-wheel drive capability.

Porsche's latest race car, which will return the company to the premiere class at Le Mans in June, boasts two different energy recovery systems, including brake energy recuperation and an innovative thermal energy recovery system housed within the exhaust system.

Porsche's engineers have developed the 919 Hybrid with an 8 megajoule per-lap energy recovery boost function, the maximum permitted under the latest LMP1 regulations. This provides it with a maximum fuel allowance of 1.2 gallons (U.S.) per lap at Le Mans.

Porsche says the 919 Hybrid has undergone more than 2,000 hours of wind tunnel testing both at the company's new wind tunnel facility in Weissach and at the University of Stuttgart in Germany.

The cars' conservative livery boasts little sponsorship cladding and features an “art car”-style theme: Viewed from above, it reads partially, “Porsche Intelligent Performance,” a nod to the program's “green” philosophy and high-tech drivetrain.

The No. 20 919 Hybrid will be piloted by former Red Bull Racing F1 driver Mark Webber. The 37-year-old Australian will be partnered by 24-year-old New Zealander Brendon Hartley and 33-year-old German Timo Bernhard. Porsche's No. 14 919 Hybrid will be driven by 30-year-old Swiss ace Neel Jani, 33-year-old German Marc Lieb and 36-year-old Frenchman Romain Dumas.

The 2014 World Endurance Championship kicks off with a six hour race at the Silverstone Circuit in the U.K. on April 20.